Dripping with sweat after a thirty-minute session on a stationary bike, I asked Dmitry Orlov how he was feeling Saturday night after the biggest game of his professional career.

“Not good. We lost.”

Orlov, a 20-year-old offensive defenseman from Novokuznetsk, Russia, could have cared less about his first ever three-point performance, the fact that he rifled three shots on net, or that he was on the ice for three minutes of the game’s five-minute overtime– big-time minutes for a young player.

He also didn’t want to think about his highlight-reel goal in the first period where he took the puck from behind Hershey’s own net, went around two defenders in the neutral zone, and scored on a slapshot from just inside Albany’s blue line – a jaw-dropping individual play. The Bears endured their fourth straight loss, this time to the visiting Devils, and he was victimized on Albany’s second goal, in which he lost a one-one-one battle with Nathan Perkovich in front of the net.

Unlike Dima (Orlov’s nickname), Mark French, the Bears’ Calder Cup-winning head coach, kept perspective in his post-game press conference. “His talent was on display tonight. His first goal — the second goal of the game — was a nice shot, but I thought his skill and his NHL upside was clearly on display.”

For those of you who have been reading RMNB for the last two years, Orlov’s quick rise to the NHL should not be a surprise. For those of you who have gotten on the RMNB bandwagon a wee bit late, hey, that’s all good. Let’s catch you up on what you’ve missed.

Dmitry Orlov’s First KHL Goal (11-23-2008)

Dima’s first KHL goal came on November 23, 2008 when he was 17 years, 4 months, and 0 days old. Orlov became the second youngest player defenseman to ever record a goal in the KHL — a league mostly comprised of men and NHL retreads. Only Zakhar Arzamastsev has scored quicker at 17 years and 1 month. Orlov went on to record seven goals and 14 assists in 102 career games in the KHL and Russian Super League.

Dmitry Orlov is Drafted by the Washington Capitals (6-29-2009)

Orlov was selected by the Washington Capitals in the second round, 55th overall of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. He was the second Russian drafted – Dmitry Kulikov was selected 14th by the Panthers. With his debut Monday, Orlov will now be the third Capitals player in the 2009 draft to play in the NHL. Marcus Johansson and Cody Eakin are the others.

During the 2009-10 season, Metallurg Novokuznetsk failed to qualify for the KHL playoffs so they decided to send Orlov down to the Novokuznetsk Bears of the MHL, the KHL’s developmental league. After totaling only four goals and three assists in 43 KHL games, Orlov found his game in the junior circuit, leading the Bears to the MHL Finals. Orlov’s nine goals and 10 assists in the playoffs ranked him third among all players. He was awarded several top honors including the Davydov trophy as the MHL Playoff MVP and was also named the best defenseman of the MHL Finals and Semifinals.

Dmitry Orlov Wins Gold Medal at WJC (1/5/2011)

Orlov, along with fellow Capitals draft pick Evgeny Kuznetsov, led the Russians to a Gold Medal in the 2010 World Junior Championship held in Buffalo. Trailing Canada 3-0 in the Championship game, the Russians scored five unanswered goals in the third period, winning the tournament in dramatic fashion. One of Russia’s assistant captains, Orlov played a key role for the squad finishing with nine points in six games. He also was named to the post-tournament the all-star squad.

Dmitry Orlov Leaves the KHL for Hershey (2/27/2011)

After another losing season in the KHL, Orlov got out of his contract with Metallurg and signed an entry-level deal with the Washington Capitals. On February 27th, Orlov made AHL debut against the Albany Devils. Not only did he register a point in his first game as a Hershey Bear, he also inspired The Patriot-News’s Tim Leone to comment,”That’s the best first 20 minutes from a 19-year-old D I’ve ever seen in this league.” RMNB’s Igor Kleyner caught up with Dima after his first professional game. You can check out the interview here.

During Caps training camp, I caught up with Hershey Bears Head Coach Mark French and he compared Dmitry to fellow Capital John Carlson. “I think Dmitry’s got a lot of upside. What I really like about him that he has similar to John is he has a real swagger [on the ice]. They both don’t get intimidated by a situation. They both seem to rise to the occasion more than be intimidated by it. I think that’ll make him a very good hockey player.” Read the whole interview here.

It was a milestone night in Hershey on Saturday. Keith Aucoin registered his 700th career AHL point, Brian Willsie scored his career-high 30th goal of the season and Dmitry Orlov tallied his first career goal at Giant Center. The Bears went on to defeat the Albany Devils 7-4 in front of a sold-out crowd. With the win, Hershey clinched a playoff spot and earned the right to defend their back-to-back Calder Cup Championships.

The most fascinating part of the evening, however, was the line-brawl that was ignited after Brian Willsie scored against the Devils’ fourth line. As the five Bears on the ice went to congratulate each other, Albany tough-guy Chris Murray gave Mathieu Perreault a shove. The feisty, 174 lb. Perreault responded with a flurry of punches and Hershey’s entire line engaged Murray. Pierre-Luc Leblond — yes, the same guy who was suspended earlier in the year for jumping Marcus Johansson — then came to his teammate’s aid, charging towards the pile of Bears as if he were a bowling ball looking for a strike. Mayhem ensued thereafter, as everyone on the ice squared off except for the goalies.

All in all, 34 penalty minutes were doled-out between the two teams, including 14 PIM’s to Leblond and 12 PIM’s to Louis Robitaille. The Bears swept the contentious and brutal season series with Albany, 6-0-0. Below the jump, Sweetest Hockey On Earth‘s Kyle M. has shared his photos of the brawl.